Does anyone think it would be a good idea to have a Gendarmerie in the UK?.

Its that it would be a good career move for ex squaddies in particular as there are many unemployed on civvy street who would succeed in this profession, and would cover more roles than the average UK Police officers.

The only reason johnny foreigner has a gendarmerie as well as a police force and an army is so that the gendarmerie, caribinieri or whatever can be used as a counter in case the army decide to stage a coup. It's the same in all these dodgy countries with a poor history of democracy - see most of the middle and far east. Since the British Army has generally managed to stay out of politics and running the country since the last disasterous attempt in the 17th Century (some bugger will correct me of course) we don't need it. And creating a kind of stay-at-home armed police force just to give jobs to ex-squaddies seems like an odd justification. If they want to wear a uniform and carry a gun, stay in the army. If they want to stay in uniform and carry a gun but don't want to deploy join MOD plod

The only reason johnny foreigner has a gendarmerie as well as a police force and an army is so that the gendarmerie, caribinieri or whatever can be used as a counter in case the army decide to stage a coup. It's the same in all these dodgy countries with a poor history of democracy - see most of the middle and far east. Since the British Army has generally managed to stay out of politics and running the country since the last disasterous attempt in the 17th Century (some bugger will correct me of course) we don't need it. And creating a kind of stay-at-home armed police force just to give jobs to ex-squaddies seems like an odd justification. If they want to wear a uniform and carry a gun, stay in the army. If they want to stay in uniform and carry a gun but don't want to deploy join MOD plod

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Totally agree about the raison d'etre of the foreign genedarmie. Peel explicitly didn't want one when he founded the Peelers in 1829.

As for correcting Bouillabaisse regarding the last army threat post British Civil War/Glorious Revolution: Harold Wilson challenged by MI5 & Lord Louis Earl Mountbatten of Burma.

Does anyone think it would be a good idea to have a Gendarmerie in the UK?.

Its that it would be a good career move for ex squaddies in particular as there are many unemployed on civvy street who would succeed in this profession, and would cover more roles than the average UK Police officers.

Some won't even stand on crime scenes, as they "haven't had the training" (what, they are illiterate and can't record times and dates?). Some will.

No one's quite sure where the funding comes from, some centrally funded some by the force.

Quite why I see them riding around on bicycles in expensive kit if they are supposed to be community support, I don't know; they can bloody walk and talk to people like good coppers do.

I am firmly of the opinion entry qualifications were deliberately low for PCSO's, for what reason I can only guess.

They are a bloody mess and the sooner they are gone, replaced by police officers (how ever many can be funded with scrapping PCSO's the better).

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Fair one, I'm pro-plod (always fancied being one but increasingly doubtful) but have a deep distrust of PCSOs simply because they're not proper Police. The one low-level encounter I had with one just confirmed my suspicions. If one rocked up on my doorstep after reporting a crime, I'd demand to speak to a real policeman.

Fair one, I'm pro-plod (always fancied being one but increasingly doubtful) but have a deep distrust of PCSOs simply because they're not proper Police. The one low-level encounter I had with one just confirmed my suspicions. If one rocked up on my doorstep after reporting a crime, I'd demand to speak to a real policeman.

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And you'd have every right.

Some PCSO turned out to my mum a couple of days after a 999 call she made. I don't tolerate it for my family, I don't see why anyone should tolerate it for theirs.

But my views are not that of the UK police, and since I'm never likely to get promoted we can all go to hell in the same handbasket together.